0 Responses to Case To Watch Regarding Online Harassment and Defamation Law

The lawsuit could cut both ways. The threat of a retaliatory lawsuit is concerning for those of us who dare to blog under our own name, but equally threatening are “parody” videos, sexualized commentary and calls for “google bombing” by anonymous posters who target we who dare to stand in front of a classroom.

As a First Amendment prof, I honor the value of confronting bad speech with more speech, but responding to intimidation more often than not provokes more hostility. Without knowing whether problematic posts are from individuals blowing off steam or serve as precursors to actual violence, we are left with a choice to gamble on our safety or support the principles of free expression without which feminism itself would be nowhere.